Ship's pilot blamed for bridge crash

Board to prepare charge, putting case before judge

Published 4:43 pm, Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Overseas Reymar sails under the Golden Gate Bridge in January after the Coast Guard cleared it.

The Overseas Reymar sails under the Golden Gate Bridge in January after the Coast Guard cleared it.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Debris from the damaged tower bumper on Friday Jan. 25, 2013, has been removed in San Francisco, Ca. Caltrans holds a boat tour of the bumper of the Bay Bridge that was damaged when the cargo ship Overseas Reymar slammed into the suspension structure a few weeks ago. less

Debris from the damaged tower bumper on Friday Jan. 25, 2013, has been removed in San Francisco, Ca. Caltrans holds a boat tour of the bumper of the Bay Bridge that was damaged when the cargo ship Overseas ... more

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Ship's pilot blamed for bridge crash

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A "chain of errors" by ship pilot Capt. Guy Kleess caused the tanker Overseas Reymar to crash into a tower of the Bay Bridge, according to an investigation by the state Board of Pilot Commissioners, which suspended the pilot's license Thursday.

The commission also plans to file a formal charge - called an accusation - that will result in a trial before a state judge.

The Overseas Reymar, a 748-foot-long tanker, was proceeding to sea from an anchorage off San Francisco after discharging its cargo of crude oil at a Martinez refinery when it hit the base of the Echo tower of the Bay Bridge on Jan. 7.

It was the second time in just over five years that a commercial ship has run into the Bay Bridge. In 2007, the container ship Cosco Busan also hit the bridge, spilling more than 52,000 gallons of fuel oil and killing thousands of birds. The pilot, Capt. John Cota, was found to be responsible for the crash, lost his license and served time in prison.

No oil was spilled in the January crash, but the result of the two crashes has been increased scrutiny on navigation by big ships in the bay.

"This is a very serious incident, a very big deal," retired Rear Adm. Frank Johnston said of the Overseas Reymar crash. Johnston is vice president of the pilot commission and was chairman of a two-member investigation committee.

Distance miscalculated

The committee held weeks of investigations and concluded that Kleess, a veteran pilot, had been involved in "a chain of errors" on the foggy morning when the ship sailed from its anchorage on Jan. 7.

Kleess ordered the anchor weighed at 10:54 a.m., and the ship got under way. He had originally intended to take the ship to sea by way of what is called the Charlie-Delta passage between bridge towers. But he determined that a radar beacon at the center of the passage between the two towers was inoperable, so he decided instead to sail between the Delta and Echo towers.

The Echo tower is closest to Yerba Buena Island, and the passage is 2,212 feet wide.

Kleess ordered the ship to proceed at full engine speed and was making 12 knots. But he miscalculated, and the starboard quarter of the ship - near the stern - hit the Echo Tower at 11:18 a.m., only 24 minutes into the voyage.

Faulty communication

Kleess made a number of errors, according to the commission investigation. Among them, the investigation said, was failing to communicate properly with the ship's personnel on the command bridge, including the ship's master, Capt. Jeffrey Memarion, who was busy talking on a satellite telephone in the minutes leading up the crash.

Also, Kleess relied on only one of the ship's two radars, and though he brought along a laptop device called a portable pilot unit, he did not use it. In addition, the investigation said, Kleess "lost situation awareness," which meant "being aware of what's happening around you," said Capt. Allen Garfinkle, the commission executive director.

Another element, the report cited was what it called Kleess' "complacency." Garfinkle explained this as "a certain comfort level" that made Kleess "satisfied with the situation."

"These actions, taken together, provide an evidentiary pattern which show that Capt. Kleess did not use ordinary care of an expert in his profession."

Kleess did not attend the hearing and has not piloted a ship since the crash.

Attorney's response

Rex Clack, Kleess' attorney, argued that Kleess had an excellent record and that the standard for piloting "is not perfection but reasonable skill."

The charges against Kleess, Clack said, "are only allegations. Now we will proceed to trial."

The commission has several days to draw up the formal accusations, and the case will go to a state administrative law judge this year.